Page 44 - Zimbabwe Stone Sculpure 1st Edition

ZIMBABWE STONE SCULPTURE
FRUIT SERPENTINE
 SPRINGSTONE  VERDITE
Fruit Serpentine is the name given to serpentine that has many colours running through it.
Springstone is a term that is used often to describe this stone which is, in fact, a very hard black serpentine with high iron content. The main source is from a big open-cast mine to the north of Harare, in a place called Guruve. Springstone is popular with artists like Lazarus Takawira and Richard Mteki who enjoy this very dark, dense stone, which polishes and finishes well.
Verdite is an extremely hard stone and is a name given to a Fuchsite- based rock belonging to the Mica group that comprises usually hydrous, potassium-aluminum silicate stones with a chromium-rich Muscovite that gives the stone its green colour. It is also related to the Serpentine stone from the eastern part of Zimbabwe and it is only found in a few places in Zimbabwe and South Africa. It is a semi-precious stone with a beautiful deep green emerald colour, which is becoming more difficult to acquire. The main source in Zimbabwe is an open-cast mine near the small town of Concession, north west of Harare. It is also a very difficult stone to carve and finish well, and only really skilled sculptors attempt it. Ernest Chiwaridzo is the master.
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